India To Operate MiG 21s Until 2017, Completes 50 Years In Service

Fifty years since it first took to the Indian skies, the MiG 21 continues to fly high and shows no signs of slowing down operations.

The single-engine aircraft will continue to remain in the IAFs squadrons until 2017 at the latest as India fumbles to acquire the Rafale while simultaneously develops the much delayed, indigenous Tejas light combat aircraft. The Indian Air Force plans to operate over 100 upgraded MiG-21 Bison’s over the next five years as its plans to put more than 50% of its current Mig-27 fleet into storage by 2015 and start phasing them out by 2017.

The MiG-21 Bison is equipped with the Phazotron Kopyo (Spear) airborne radar, which is capable of simultaneously tracking 8 targets and engaging 2 of them with semi-active radar homing air-to-air missiles, such as the Vympel R-27. The radar also enables the fighter to deploy active radar homing air-to-air missiles.

According to reports, Russia has claimed that this version is equivalent to the early F-16. It performed well against F-15s and F-16s of the USAF during Indo-US joint air exercises.